Going to 265/75/16 should I also do the shocks?

[retainer55]

I had been thinking about Ramblin's setup and got a buddy deal for some Yoko Geolander At+II's in 265/75/16. I'm fairly certain the shocks I have on it now are oem. Since I don't plan on lifting it anytime soon, should I also replace the factory shocks? I beat the daylights out of this thing on the trail maybe once every 1-2 weeks at best, but other than that its my daily driver.

Thanks in advance

[Ramblin Fever]

Are you getting the 265/70's or the 265/75's?

The 265/75 Yokohama's are 8-ply tires that will be a little stiff for about a week or so, when brand-new. Some people think the 8-ply is a bit much for the Rodeo, but let me say this, I have far fewer issues with 6-8ply tires, i.e. better and longer wear, less likely to sustain injury from nails, rocks, and last twice as long.

In short though, yes, you are going to need new shocks, the OEM shocks are fairly weak and at your mileage, are pretty worn out anyway. The Yok's are not exactly heavy, but they are bigger then OEM size and do require a bit stiffer shock to keep them in-line.

I've had a round with Takico trekmaster's and KYB Gas-adjust, I do NOT recommend either of these shocks unless you're in need of new fillings. And, in that case, the Takico's will greatly prepare you for the dentist chair

The shocks I have now are GREAT = Gabriel sport SUV; they keep the rig in excellent control, great cornering, take bumps just right - not too hard, not too soft and I can put a load on the back without concern as well as a rumpage back in the woods.

Other shocks some have recommended are Bilstein's for running bigger tires, mild-offroad, etc. I would have tried these, but they were a bit out of my price range.

Many, many Isuzu owners have sworn by Monroe sensa-trac's, however, many of those owners run OEM tire sizes and don't haul loads or visit rough dirt-roads.

Also, do you have 16x7 or 16x7.5 alloy OEM wheels? If so, great!

If you have the OEM Steel wheels, i.e. 16x6, the yok's in the 265 width will cup badly.

Post pics when you've got em mounted - they are a GREAT tire, however do NOT neglect to rotate them at least every 5k miles or you will regret it. I keep my psi at 35/all 4 corners, tread is wearing very evenly.

[retainer55]

I ordered the 265/75/16's and the stock wheels are 16x7.5 and are the "snowflake" oem honda wheels. I couldn't find anything called Gabriel "sport" shocks online - where did you find these?

Thanks

Brian

[Ramblin Fever]

Great, that size of wheel is perfect.

Got to be honest, the day I got my Gabriel sport shocks, I had been way way pi$$ed at the choice that I had made in the Takico's - the Takico's were only 6 mnths old or so, and I got REAL tired of my teeth rattling one day and drove it straight into a BIG-O tire store on Arapahoe just East of I-25.

They offered me a fantastic deal on a set of 4, although I could have done cheaper had I done them myself.

However, take a look at autopartswarehouse.com they may have a set, otherwise, I'll see if I can look around on the web with ya and get back to ya.

[retainer55]

After much legwork and company time, I put together these quotes. Tell me are the Gabriel sport shocks worth another $66.27?

Big O Tires:
- 5 Yoko Geolander AT II+'s 265/75/16's mounted and balanced with pro-rated road hazard warranty - $678.17
- 4 Gabriel Sport Bruiser shocks - $340 OR 4 Monroe Reflex shocks (**with mail in rebate for $66.27)
- 4 wheel alignment
= $1028.17

Discount Tire & Brakes Plus:
- 5 same exact tires & warranty - $678.17
- 4 Monroe Reflex shocks - $350 (**with mailin rebate for $66.27)
- 4 Wheel Alignment
= $1028.17


Since they are the same price, I suppose it just comes down to which shocks I want. What do you think? Are these decent prices?

Thanks

[Ramblin Fever]

I love Discount tire, and will always get my tires from them; but I won't let Brakes plus touch my truck with a 10' pole.

Are the Gabriel's worth the extra $66? Can't answer that, as I've never had the Monroe Reflex's - but you can steal my spare tire AND rim before I'll let you take my shocks!

Are both tire stores offering the same warranty on the tires?

[retainer55]

So I got the 265/75/16's with some Gabriel Ultra shocks (this was the closest I could find to what you recommended, Ramblin). The first problem is that I bent my passenger side rear lower shock mount, so I still have one of the old shocks on that side until I get the part - any idea where to look? Apparently, I had Gabriel Ultra's on there and 2 out of 4 were shot, so it was good that I changed them out for new ones.

I do have some slight rubbing, but it only seems to be on the drivers front side when turning. Any idea how to fix this? I donb't really want to do a lift right this minute that will force me to get new shocks again, but I am open to any suggestions you might have. Could I do something to get a 1-2" inch lift that won't make it necessary to get new shocks?

Another thing is that the tires say to inflate to 65psi when cold - but you say 35psi is right?

You should have seen these things in the mud on some jeep trails in the Flat Tops Wilderness this weekend though. I couldn't get them to spin out much at all! Very nice and slightly stiffer ride with the new shocks as well.

Brian

[Ramblin Fever]

I would not put 65psi in those tires - you'll be bouncing to kingdom and you won't have to worry about any future fillings, you won't have any teeth!!

Inflate to 36psi cold, but remember, the Yok's WILL ride rough for about a week to two weeks when new.

I tend to run close to 40psi fr/38 rr when I have a good load, i.e. 300-400# in the back of the truck, 4-5 people IN the truck along with 3 mutts. But for a standard load, i.e. 2-3 people, maybe 100# or so in the rear, 35-36psi fr & rr is the most you'll need.

You can go as low as 32 fr/rr, but the tires were too squishy for my liking, and my steering response was so much improved when I went up in pressure - if I actually went out right now and checked, I'd probably be sitting at 36-37psi front & 35 rr.

When I 1st went with this size tire, I had 16x6 skinny wheels and I did have some rubbing on the front, but I drove that way for several months without issue. The only time I noticed it was if I was turning real sharp.

I now have 16x8 wheels with +25 offset and 3.?? bs and I have absolutely no rubbing what-so-ever now, in fact the truck tracks better, turns better, and rides so much more stable.

You shouldn't have to worry about getting new wheels in the future though, I only did it because my original OEM's were the heavy steel wheels, very skinny, not to mention kinda ugly and they were starting to rust, making the truck look nasty.

If you have mud flaps on the front of the truck, start by removing them, and there is some molded plastic behind the front tires up against the firewall - might be able to cut some out. I never actually went that far as the rubbing I had wasn't enough to justify cutting anything off other then the mud flap.

I must tell you though, that it was almost a good full year after I got these tires before I got the chance to try them on an actual rough off-road trip, so the mild rubbing I had in town, could've very well meant good rubbing off-road.

You can try to torque up your front torsion bars, there are a LOT of Rodeo owners who have done that, specially over at the 4x4wire.com website. - when my Rodeo is no longer used as a DD, I'll put the poor man's lift on it, of course by then, it'll be pushing 20yrs old, since that seems to be about the time we're retiring our daily drivers.